Confirmed measles cases in North Dakota rise to 21

Confirmed cases of measles in North Dakota increased to 21 this week after the Department of Health and Human Services reported two new cases in Grand Forks County, now the third county to be affected.

Both exposures in Grand Forks County are linked to international travel, according to the department. 

Williams County in western North Dakota has 13 cases and Cass County in eastern North Dakota has six confirmed cases, including one person who was hospitalized. All of the North Dakota cases involve people who were unvaccinated, the department said. 

Molly Howell, immunization director for HHS, said Friday she is “cautiously optimistic” about the slow spread of the disease in the state that was first confirmed May 2. But she reiterated that it takes two full incubation periods, or 42 days, without any new cases to declare an outbreak over.

“We’re definitely a long ways from that,” Howell said. 

The department is continuing to recommend early and accelerated measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations for people living in or traveling to Williams County due to confirmed community transmission. 

There is no evidence of community transmission in Cass or Grand Forks counties, the department said.

The department alerted the public to an exposure at the Williston Basin International Airport on May 14. On that day, an individual confirmed to have measles flew on a United Airlines flight from Denver to Williston. Anyone who entered the airport between 10:22 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. that day should consider themselves exposed to the virus, according to the department’s website.

The state health department recommends any unvaccinated people, those without at least one dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, exposed at the airport should quarantine themselves for 21 days to see if symptoms develop to prevent exposure to the community.

Howell said state health officials were able to get the flight manifest from the affected plane and all North Dakotans on the flight were notified about their exposure to the illness.

Anyone showing symptoms should contact a health care provider before walking into a medical clinic to receive instructions on how to present themselves for testing, Howell said.

Measles symptoms can develop up to 21 days after exposure. The symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, eye irritation and a body-wide rash.

The measles virus is spread through the air and people remain contagious for several days before and after the first symptoms appear, the department said previously.

Other North Dakota exposure sites include:

• Tractor Supply Williston on May 12.
• Band Day Parade Williston in Harmon Park, Main Street and 11th Street on May 10.
• Essentia Health Walk-in Care Clinic on 52nd Avenue in Fargo on May 9.
• Essentia Health – The Lights West Fargo Clinic on May 7.
• Missouri Ridge Elementary School from April 29 to May 2.

Howell said over the next few days the quarantine period for Williston schools will expire.

“Hopefully, we won’t have any children positive from the school setting,” she said. “From what I’m hearing from local public health, people have been coming in to be vaccinated … which is great to hear.”

As of May 22, the CDC reported 1,046 measles cases have been confirmed nationwide across 30 states. About 67% of those cases involved people under age 19 and 97% of the confirmed cases involved people who were unvaccinated or had an “unknown” vaccination status.

“We don’t want there to be any more cases, so we just really want to encourage people to revisit vaccination with a trusted health care provider,” Howell said.An updated list of measles exposure sites can be found on the HHS website.

This story was updated after the department issued a press release with two additional measles cases.